Check-row attachment for seed-planters



(No Model.)

L. EBERHART & 1*. 1). STEVENS.

CHECK ROW ATTACHMENT PORSEED PLANTERS. No. 96,151,

Patented Apr. 1. 1884.

N. PETERS. Hlcbljlhawhr, Wuhin lm, n4 (1 1'0 aZZ whom it may concern.-

1 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

LLOYDTEBERHART" AND IRVING D. STEYENS, OF J OLIET ILLINOIS.

CH ECK -ROW ATTACHMENT FO'R SEED-PLANTERS'.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent 110,296,151, dated April 1,1884.

Application filed December 6, 1883. (No model.)

- Be it known that we, LLOYD EBERHART an IRVING D. STEVENS, citizens ofthe United States of America, residing at Joliet, in the county of Willand State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvementsin Oheck-Row Attachments for Seed-Planters, ofwhich the following is aspecification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.I

Figurel is a plan view on the top; Fig. 2, a side view of the-stud-plateE, that -attaches to the seed-slide B; Fig. 3, a verticalsection throughthe center of pinion P and longitudinal section through forked lever L,supposing it to be standing on a line parallel with beam A; and Fig. 4,a perspective view of the arm D, for attaching the cross head P to thebeam A.

This invention relates to certain improvements in check row attachmentsfor seedplanters, the construction and operation of which we will fullyset forth in the following specification and claims;

Referring to the drawings, It represents the cross-head of the machine,bearing the ordinary guide-sheaves, w, w, and m, for guiding the knottedwire or cord 10, which cross-head attaches {one at either end) to thebeam A of the planter by means of the arm D and bolts o 72, immediatelyoutside of the seedhopper R. The cross-head 70 also bears the horizontalpini ons P and P, pivoted by means of properstuds to the cross-head It,so they will mesh with each other, as shown in Fig. 1 the pinion P beingintended to be twice as large in diameter as pinion P. The forked leverL pivots to the stud n of pinion P, as shown more particularly in Fig.3, which said stud stands shouldered on cross-head k, and

has its lower end screw-threaded, and extends down through arm D, whichis held thereto by the nut c. The nut 71/ securely attaches the stud nto the cross-head k. The lower end of stud it passes through the slot S(shown in Fig. 4) of arm D, between the flanges e e, the height of whichleaves room for the nut 12, as shown in Fig. 3. The flanges ee standbetween the flanges n a, which are integral with cross-head k. Theseflanges n n prevent rotation of the cross-head on the arm D. The use ofthe slot S in the arm D is to furnish means for moving the cross 'headIt horizontally forward or backward by loosening the nut c, for thepurpose of causing the machine to check in line with thepreviously-dropped row. Sometimes the knotted wire gets moved by astrain on it, so its knots are not exactly in line with the row. Whenthat has occurred, the head It can be moved either forwardto cause theforked lever L to strike the knot sooner, or be moved back to cause thelever L to strike the knot later, than it would, so that by means ofsuch adjustment, which can be made almost instantly, the grain canalways be dropped exactly in line with the previously-dropped rowwithout having to disturb the anchors that hold the knotted wire ateitherend of the field.

The forked lever L is constructed with a latch, r, hinged thereto, asshown in Figs. 1 and 3, thehooked end of which passes through the forkedlever through a slot or hole, 0, and

extends downward far enough to engage with four radial equidistantvertical offsets, r, on the upper face of the pinion P. The forked leverL is provided on its pivoted end on the top with the latch 1", which ispivoted at its rear endinto the rear end of said lever, as shown inFigs. land 3. The other end of said latch is bent to turn downward topass through a slot or opening through said lever forward of the stud n,on which said lever pivots. This enablesthesaidlatch, by itsown-gravity, to fall consecutivelybehind one of aseries of fourequidistant vertical radial offsets, r, on the upper face of pinion P,so that when forked 1ever L moves backward said latch will catch behindthe vertical face of one of said offsets, and thereby rotate said pinionuntil said lever L stops. The sides of said offsets opposite theirvertical faces are inclined, so the latch can pass over it and drop downbehind its vertical face. The pinion P is by this means rotatedintermittently in one direction one-fourth of its circumferenceat'on'ce, and by means of its meshing with the smaller pinion, P, willrotate it intermittently one-half way around. Pinion P is provided witha wristpin 2, on'which the link y is pivoted, and by necting-rod B.Rotation of pinion P will reciprocate the connecting-rod B, whichattaches I at its outer end to the seed-slide, which is re- GiPIOOttGdby it. The arm of the bell-crank to which the connecting rod B attachesis provided with a row of holes to furnish means for adjusting thelength of the stroke of the connecting-rod B. The coil-spring S returnsthe forked lever to the position shown in Fig. 1 after the knot haspassed out of the lever.

As shown in Fig. 1, the machi'neis to travel inthe direction of thearrow, and the forked lever L is just about to be carried backward by aknot on the stationary wire w. After it has been moved backward as faras the turnedup ends on the segment-track F will permit it, and the knothas passed out of the lever, and the spring S has returned the saidlever to the position shown in said figure, the small pinion P will havebeen rotated just one-half way around, and the wrist-pin 2 will stand inexactly the opposite position from that shown, and the connecting-rod Bwill have reciprocated or moved the seed-slide B once, and so on eachrevolution of pinion P will move the seed-slide once each way. Thepinions P and P are "so set in relation to each other that the Wrist-pinz is always left in a line with the axes of said pinions at eachreciprocation of the seed-slide, as shown in Fig. 1, so that theseed-slide stands locked and cannot move by any other means than bymeans of the movement of the forked lever described. It often occursthat as the seed-slide moves very easily, it will, unless locked in someway, move by means of the unevenness of the ground or some other causebefore it should more to drop the seed at the right place; hence thenecessity of locking it either way at each reciprocation, and the meansshown is one very effectual for the purpose.

The inner ends of the connecting-rods B are provided with the slot S,through which the studs 0 stand. These studs 0 o are integral with plateE, which is bolted to the seed-slide B. This plateE is provided on itsupper side, at the center, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, with the arm a,pivoted thereto in such manner that it can be turned to lie horizontallyin either direction on said plate, so as to .alternately preventreciprocation of the'slotted end S of the connecting-rod B on the studc, as shown in Fig. 2. This swinging arm a is for the purpose ofpermitting the check-rower at the opposite side of the machine to standstill, so as to not be worn when unnecessary. Looking at Fig. 1, the arma is shown as turnedtoward connecting-rod B, which prevents the siud cfrom traversing the slot S, and by that means causes connecting-rod B toreciprocate the seed-slide B. The slot S in the opposite connecting-rodB is left free, so the otlier stud; 0 can traverse it, and thus permitsaid connecting-rod to lie still while the other reciprocates theseed-slide, so that said connectingrods alternately reciprocate theseed-slide and alternately lie still, so as not posite check-rower onthe other end of the ma- I to wear the op chine while the one shown inFig. 1 is operating. hen the end of the field is reached and the knottedwire w is changed to the opposite 7o check-rower, then the lever a isthrown over in the opposite direction from that shown in Fig.

1, when connecting-rod B will reciprocate the seed-slide andconnecting-rod B 'will lie idle,

for the purpose stated. The slot S in the arm 7 5 Having thus describedour invention, what 3 we claim as new, and desire to secure by LettersPatent, is as follows, to wit:

1. The combination of the beam A of a planter, the arm D, having theslot S and sheaves w, a, and w, pinion P,-having the radial verticaloffsets r, pinion P, having the wrist-pin z, stud a, forked lever L,having the latch r, coil-spring S link '1, bell-crank D, and connectingrod B, having the slot and for the purpose set forth.

2. In the check-rower described, the pinion P, having the radialvertical offsets r, in combination with the forked lever L, having theflanges e 6, head 76, having the flanges n a, 8

S, as

latch r, pinion P, having the wrist-pin z, coilspring S",- stud a, andbell-crank D, as and for the purpose set forth.

3. In the check-rower described, the combination of the beam A, arm D,having the 7 slot S and flanges 62' e, head is, having the flanges n aand bolt 12, and nuts 0 and 0 as and for the purpose set forth.

4. In the check-rower described, the head It, adapted to have horizontaladjustment for ward and backward on the arm D, as and for the purposeset forth.

5. In the check-rower described, the combination of the pinions P and P,link y, bell crank D, and connecting-rod B, the said pinions set in thedescribed relation to each other, so that at each half-revolution ofpinion P its wrist-pin z and link 3 will be left in line with the axesof said pinions, to lock the seed-slide Bin either direction, as setforth.

6. In the check-rower described, the combination of the seed-slide B,plate E, having the studs 0 c and centrally-pivoted swinging arm a,connecting-rods B and B having the slots S S, bell-crank D, link 'I,pinions P and P, and oscillatingforked lever L, having the latch r, alladapted to operate as and for the purpose set forth.

7. In the check-rower described, the bolt or stud it, having thelock-nut c and nut c, and adapted to secure the forked lever L andpinion P in position on the head is, and to secure the headk to the armD, as and for the purpose set forth.

LLOYD EBERHABT. IRVING D. STEVENS.

\Vitnesses:

V TI-Ios. H. HUTOHINS, W J. HUTOHINS.

